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പാവക്കയുടെ ഗുണഗണങ്ങള്‍

Published on 07 February, 2012
പാവക്കയുടെ ഗുണഗണങ്ങള്‍

Bitter gourd (Momordicacharantia) is a commonly consumed tropical vegetable. Ayurvedic science andmedical science have both proven the beneficial effects of this vegetable inprevention and treatment of diabetes. Infact Bitter Gourd's (BG)anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, antiviral and anticancer activities have beenwell established in human studies in the past decades. 

 Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a metabolic disordercharacterized by abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and insulinresistance, and is well-established indicator for high risk of type 2 diabetesmellitus (DM) and cardiovascular diseases. Dueto rapid transitions toward excessive energy intake and sedentary lifestyle,MetS has become a major health problem worldwide affecting about 34% of US and23.1% of Taiwan populations.

 Wild Bitter Gourd(WBG) has shown to ameliorate metabolic syndrome in animal studies.Nevertheless, it remains unclear if WBG has beneficial effects on MetS inhumans or not.

 Mechanism of action:

 It has been knownthat Peroxisome Proliferator-activatedreceptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors that control lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Theactivation of these receptors helps to treat MetS. 

 In animal models,WBG has been seen to up-regulate PPARγ andPPARα-mediated pathways which are associated withimproved MetS, together with the long established evidence of Bitter Gourd'srole in the improvement of insulin resistance.

 Therefore a study was conducted to evaluate the roleof wild bitter gourd supplementation on MetS in Taiwanese adults.

A trial was conducted ofeligible individuals from May 2008 to April 2009 and a total of 42 people (21 men and 21 women)aged between 23 to 63 years were supplemented with 4.8 gram lyophilized WBGpowder in capsules daily for three months. They were checked for MetS atenrollment and monthly follow-up. After the supplements was ceased, theparticipants were checked for MetS monthly over an additional three-monthperiod. 

 TheMetS incidence rate was seen to decrease by 7.1 percent in the visit 2 versus11.9 percent in visit 7 as compared to that at baseline (visit 1). The decreasein incidence rate was highest at the end of the three-month supplementationperiod and it was significantly different from that at baseline. 

 Atthe same time the positive effect was seen only till the end of fourth month(one month after the cessation of supplementation) as the effect diminished atthe 5th and 6th months after baseline. Thewaist circumference also significantly decreased after the supplementation.The positive effect lasted only till theparticipants were subjected to WBG supplementation.

The study clearly provesthat WBG supplementation improves metabolic syndrome and has immense potentialto benefit people living with it.The study forms a firm base for further studies to evaluate the efficacy of WBGsupplementation.

Reference: Wild bitter gourdimproves metabolic syndrome: A preliminary dietary supplementation trial; ChungHuang et al; Nutrition Journal 2012.

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